The Union Ministry of Animal Husbandry clarified that chicken may be considered safe as no report has confirmed its involvement in the coronavirus outbreak, which had claimed over 900 lives in China at the time of writing.
Letter to the Poultry Federation of India
Animal Husbandry Commissioner Praveen Malik stated in a letter to Vijay Sardana, Advisor of the Poultry Federation of India, that poultry was not found to be involved in transmitting 2019 nCoV to humans in any globally reported cases.
"Poultry has not been found to be involved in the transmission of 2019 nCoV to humans so far in any report globally."
— Praveen Malik, Animal Husbandry Commissioner
Government confirms chicken consumption is safe during the COVID-19 outbreak
Predominant Route — Human-to-Human
Addressing concerns about livestock product consumption, Malik explained that the predominant transmission route for 2019 nCoV appears to be human-to-human, according to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), though the virus may have had an animal source requiring further investigation.
Historical Precedent — SARS & MERS
The letter noted that similar coronavirus outbreaks in the past, including SARS (2002-03) and MERS (2012-13), showed no involvement of poultry or poultry products worldwide.
"Consumption of poultry and poultry products may be considered safe."
— Official Ministry statement